Halladay’s Mentor Passes Away (Notice the Lack of Cheap Bus Puns)

Bus Campbell, Roy Halladay’s lifelong mentor, died after a fall on Wednesday. The Doc seems like a pretty strong character, but obviously this is a major blow to him. Campbell sounds like an amazing guy (read a tribute) who still played a big part in Halladay’s life. “Even last year Bus would call me after starts,” Halladay said. From Roy’s career turnaround (Campbell did the same thing for Jamie Moyer) to his no-nonsense approach on the mound, there’s a lot of Bus there. As Goose Gossage put it:

“He kept it simple,” Gossage said. “Everybody now wants to reinvent the wheel. He didn’t want to do that. He just helped you.”

“Load your gun. Show your billfold to the catcher. Pick up a piece of dirt.”

Remind you of anyone? The depth of the role that Campbell played to the pitchers that he worked with can be seen in his comments about his own motivation for working pro bono and entirely out of the limelight: “I said a long time ago if I could help some kids, I’d do it. No one guy makes a pitcher or a player. They are a product of everyone who has touched their life. I just hope there’s something I can do that helps the kid in life.”

I’m not sure if this video was taken after the news, but either Roy was looking directly into the sun or showing a lot of pain in his eyes. Our thoughts are with him. And Kudos for him not falling for the trite suggestion that he dedicate the 2008 season to him. Who tells a guy how to grieve during an press scrum?